Half of a Yellow Sun

Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a novel based on the Nigeria-Biafra War of 1967-1970. It follows three people as their lives unfold in this very difficult time. Adichie writes with great honesty, she brings the personal element to this tragic part of Nigerias history.

This is a beautifully written, yet hard to read novel. Adichie is one of the most talented writers I've read in a long time. Highly recommended.

The Witch's Daughter

The Witch's Daughter by Paula Brackston is a tale of witchcraft and sorcery that moves through time from the 1600's to the present day. What's not to love?

Although I found the story entertaining, the warlock Gideon, who pursues the witch Bess Hawksmith through the centuries is such a repulsive character, it basically ruined the book for me.

Disappointing.

Ishmael's Oranges

Ishmael's Oranges by Claire Hajaj is a novel about the conflict between Palestinians and Jews for the land that is now Israel. beginning in 1948 Jaffa, moving to London, Beirut and back again, the novel follows the life of Salim, a displaced Palestinian boy who falls in love with Jude, a Jewish girl he meets in London.

They try desperately to overcome their families prejudices and hatred of each others culture. They commit to raising children who are the best of both worlds, but it proves more difficult than either can imagine.

This is a beautifully written and illuminating novel. Hajaj, sharing both Palestinian and Jewish heritage, sheds light on a very difficult conflict that has been going on for decades. There is great sadness in the unbroken cycle of hatred that travels down through families and poisons children, even in these more modern times.

A recommended read.

For the Time Being

For the Time Being by Annie Dillard, author of Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, is a book of Dillard's reflections on what it means to be here and why. She reflects on clouds, sand, the writings of Teilhard de Chardin to name a few. Her thinking and her writing go to places that only she can go.

Fans of Dillard will probably enjoy this book. I found it interesting, thoughtful, but not nearly as eloquent as Pilgrim at Tinker Creek.

Americanah

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is one of the best books I've read in a long time. It is the story of Ifemelu, a beautiful Nigerian girl who leaves military-ruled Nigeria for America and leaves behind Obinze, the love of her life. It is about her experience as a non-American black woman in America, which she begins to blog about. Obinze is not granted a visa for America, but goes instead to London and lives the life of an illegal immigrant there, until they both eventually end up back in Nigeria.

Ngozi Adichie's writing is current, intelligent and beautiful; she explores themes of race, identity, culture, family, community, love. Her characters are so completely drawn, I had a hard time saying good-bye to them at the end of the book, I was totally caught up in their story.

A highly recommended read.

The Pearl That Broke It's Shell

The Pearl That Broke It's Shell by Nadia Hashimi is a novel about the lives of Afghan women in the present day and 100 years ago. It is a complex and often tragic story.

Rahima, born into a family of all girls, is turned into a boy in the custom of bacha posh, and is given previously unimaginable freedom. It all ends when she turns 13 and is married to a man old enough to be her grandfather. Her only hope is in the story of her great-great grandmother Shekiba, told to her by her aunt.

Beautifully written, but hard to read tale of life in modern day Afghanistan, that has improved very little for women in the last century.

Malinche

Malinche by Laura Esquivel, author of Like Water for Chocolate, is historical fiction about the life of Malinche, the Native woman who became Hernan Cortes's interpreter during his conquest of Mexico. Today the word malinche is used pejoratively by Mexicans to describe someone who betrays their heritage.

In this slim novel, Esquivel re-imagines Malinche's life as a slave and places her inside her cultural context to help us understand the decisions she made. Accompanied by a codex, pre-Columbian style drawings, the book is part myth, part incantation. Lyrical and rich with imagery it brings ancient Mexico and its Gods alive.

If you are expecting something similar to Like Walter for Chocolate, you will be disappointed, nonetheless, Malinche is a magical novel that sheds light on a tragic part of Mexico's past.

The Glassblower of Murano

The Glassblower of Murano by Marina Fiorato is set in Venice, in the present day and in the 17th century, when Venetian glassblowers were the best in the world.

Although this is a novel, and Corradino Manin, the protagonist, is a fictional character, the story is based on fact. In the 13th century, all glassblowing in Venice was moved to Murano, an island in the Venetian lagoon. Here, the glassblowers stumbled upon the secret of how to make perfect, clear, large glass mirrors and this knowledge was strictly guarded. Venice's ruling council threatened the glassblowers and their families with death if they ever divulged their methods, yet many still escaped to France during the reign of Louis XIV and helped construct the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versaille.

A fascinating story of murder, mystery, culture, art, love, family...

A God in Ruins

A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson is the follow up novel to Life After Life, not so much a sequel, as a companion novel. Here we meet Teddy, Ursula's younger brother, and move back in forth in time following his life as a young boy, an old man and father, and a fighter pilot in WWII.

Teddy is a likeable character, but his daughter Viola is awful and I never connected with the character of his wife Nancy, I just found that I didn't care about any of the characters very much by the end. Atkinson is a wonderful writer and the novel is intelligent and thought provoking. However, as a follow up to Life After Life, it is a bit of a letdown.